Elise Haukenes is an artist of boundless creative proportions. She is an award-bearing violinist, esteemed contemporary and ballet dancer and nationally ranked gymnast. Deeply inspired by the relationship between music and movement, she is passionate about telling meaningful stories and impacting audiences through interdisciplinary projects. Her enthusiasm for mixed media has been displayed through collaborations between the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music and Kaufman School of Dance and she received USC’s prestigious Discovery Scholar Grant for her niche work in this area. This young artist has also integrated her violin playing with choreography into two world premieres with Vitacca Ballet and Houston Contemporary Dance Company. As a violinist, she has been top prizewinner and finalist in several concerto competitions, invited to perform at Carnegie Hall and premier newly commissioned work at the Kennedy Center. During the summer she has participated in the Pacific Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, National Repertory Orchestra, Bowdoin International Music Festival and Heifetz Institute of Music. She graduated summa cum laude from USC with a Bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance and a Minor in Dance and completed her Master of Music degree at Rice University. Elise is incredibly excited and honored to be joining The Phoenix Symphony as Associate Principal 2nd violin this fall for their 2024-25 season.